Just You
by xxalexisurgodxx
Summary: There's somebody out there for everyone, no matter what people tell you. Omegaverse. USUK.
1. Chapter 1

Alrighty, I'm thinking about starting an Omegaverse multi-chapter. We'll see how much love this gets.

Axis Powers Hetalia (c) Hidekaz Himaruya

* * *

Sometimes having friends could spell trouble for even the most cautious of people. Friends were wonderful, yes, but not all the time. It would be at approximately this time tomorrow that Arthur would want to brutally murder every single one of his friends that had convinced him to come out with them that night. Every last one of them.

It was just an ordinary Friday night. But that's how everything starts out- ordinary. Arthur Kirkland was a normal college student of twenty three years, in his fourth year. Which was, admittedly, abnormal for an Omega. Typically, an Omega's education terminated before they graduated high school, or, at the latest, during their first or second years of university. Why? Because it was more than likely that they'd found a mate and been through the bonding ceremony by that time. But Arthur? Oh, no.

Back when he used to give a damn, all he'd known was rejection. No Alpha (or Beta, for that matter) wanted a stubborn, fussy Omega with breathtaking attitude problems. And Arthur was a packaged deal that included everything as described. A blessed existence, really. All warm thanks to his Beta parentage; they taught him not a single thing about being who he was programmed to be. Not that anyone wanted to look at it that way, but it was better to be relatively normal and adjusted than to be completely lost and uncertain of even the smallest things. Take it from someone from the other side of the fence- Arthur would know.

Not that he would ever admit that he felt lost. He would take that to the grave, of all things. But he was lost, terribly lost.

And now he was squished into a booth with some of the aforementioned friends at a nameless night club in New York City (the absolute loudest, brightest bleeding city in the entire bleeding world) because a few of his "friends" had convinced him to tag along. Not only was he squished, he was hot and unable to sit still, thanks to the swirling feeling brewing in his stomach, all together resulting in his immediate discomfort.

_"Yay." _

Why New York? After two years of university in England, Arthur had decided to go to school in the United States because of the excellent Economics program a school in New York City offered. He was pleased with the school so far, but being an Omega, and a maladjusted one at that, things were complicated. Why, on the first day he'd caused a small fuss because of his apartment building- there was no way he could be utilizing an apartment building that housed Alphas and Omegas on the same floors- for obvious reasons. The building he'd first looked into had conveniently forgotten to mention that very important bit of information. In the end, he'd found a pleasant apartment building that suited his "needs", thanks to his more determined traits, but that was enough of that. He was still stuck at this night club.

Arthur should have realized why he was sweltering and slightly queasy, but it hadn't occurred to him. All he knew was that he didn't feel well and wanted to drown himself in vodka. So that's precisely what he did. At some point later that night he'd lost the ability to tell whether a few minutes or a few hours had passed by, so he'd started counting the time by the number of drinks he'd downed. Now Arthur didn't mind the warmth so much anymore, though it was creeping up his back and making his neck clammy. Arthur shivered and gave the rim of his empty glass a lick, gazing around absently.

_"This has got to be my third, right? Or perhaps fourth..."_

It occurred to him that he had no idea where his friends had gone. He thought he could recall Felix saying something about going upstairs to find someone, but Arthur never really understood anything the Polish kid said, so it was hard to really say for certain if he was actually up there. Idly, he wondered why his glass was empty, but shrugged as if the question held no real importance. Which it did not. Did it? Does anything?

Nothing was important. Not even a poor, unfortunate Omega son like Arthur; not fortunate enough to be cared for, to be helped, to be-

Abort internal self-loathing session. By god, what was that smell? "Incredible" did not even begin to describe it- it was more like an insult to it. No, it wasn't food, or alcohol (which, of course, smelled amazing as well)- it had to be an Alpha. Betas didn't give off scents like that. Arthur Kirkland's eyes snapped out of their drunken haze and glanced around, fighting the numb feeling of intoxication to catch another whiff of that scent. How dare alcohol call itself intoxicating when that was the only word in the entire English language that could be used to describe that scent? It smelled of power, of gravity-defying confidence, all Alpha.

Now where the fuck was he?

The club was getting increasingly more crowded (and louder, or was it just Arthur?) as the minutes ticked by, making it harder and harder to see, think, and smell straight. Though the smell was potent, someone had just sat down at the bar next to Arthur wearing what had to be half a bottle of perfume, so it was hard to smell much else. Dammit, lady, she'd picked the worst night to wear all that floral-scented stuff. Couldn't she tell Arthur was trying to smell something? Or some_one_? Honestly, he had been enjoying breathing it in, soaking it up and picturing what this guy could look like. "Mnnh..." he couldn't help himself, shifting on the bar stool as flashes of the scent made it through the perfume and invaded Arthur's very being.

He really couldn't picture they guy- he didn't want to build his expectations too high in case of rejection, and simply because he couldn't think of any way for this Alpha to look. There were only two things Arthur knew for certain about him- one was that he was that he was very strong, and two, that he radiated self-confidence. Oh, and that he was male, but that was easily picked up by anyone's scent.

The aforementioned traits were commonly present in an Alpha, but, damn, this one was potent. "Where are you?" Arthur muttered under his breath, trying to keep his focus on searching the crowd and not on ordering another drink.

"What're you doin' here?"

Arthur 's head whipped around to where his back had been facing not a moment before, the rest of his body following as the bar stool swiveled under him. "I beg your pardon? Do I kn-"

And there it was. That was when it hit him; an intense wave of that potent scent from before came crashing down on him full force all at once, in that second. Had Arthur been standing he probably would've have felt some kind of kickback. It was a few seconds before Arthur could even begin to form words again, inhaling what dominance must have smelled like. Confidence. Perhaps even _over-_confidence.

Arthur didn't give a flying fuck what it was called; it was viciously fueling his hunger for sex. His fingers dug into the cushion of the stool he was perched on.

"No, you don't. I'm Alfred, nice to meet you," the newcomer said, holding out a hand. Arthur was barely able to suppress a shiver as their fingers brushed.

"Arthur, Arthur Kirkland," he supplied as he shook the other's hand cautiously. The last thing Arthur wanted to be with this man was cautious, but it wasn't like getting friendly on the bar counter was an option. Wait, was it? "What did you-"

"I'm wonderin' why you're sitting here when you smell like it's the last place you want to be," Alfred cut in boldly.

Too busy taking in Alfred's appearance to register that he'd insinuated that he was making an effort to analyze how the Briton smelled, Arthur tossed back an answer fairly quickly. "Dunno, just... just bored, I guess..." he muttered, fumbling over his own drunken lips. His attention was not on the eloquence of his speech, but on the other's... well, everything. Alfred was the owner of a head of thick, dark, golden blonde hair (at least, that was how it looked in the somewhat dim lighting of the club) cropped at the nape of his column of a neck that framed a dazzling pair of icy blue eyes. Smart glasses set in rectangular frames sat on the bridge of his nose, adding a few years to a face that may have looked younger without them. What was under those glasses, however, was balanced out by a chiseled jaw and unusually straight teeth that could be glimpsed when he spoke.

"Well, who are you with?"

"Some friends..." The blonde Alpha had taken the seat next to Arthur and ordered himself some drink Arthur hadn't heard the name of. Probably some kind of cheap beer- Americans seemed to specialize in that. Peh.

But they definitely didn't skimp out on their Alphas. The Briton took in the characteristic largeness of the other's frame. He owned particularly broad shoulders and was perhaps a bit above average height for an Alpha- the rest of him was hard to make out with the current lighting, but Arthur couldn't help but hope he'd get a closer, more hands-on experience later. Hoped.

"Some friends they are then, huh? Leavin' you by yourself, draggin' you here in the first place when you're obviously..." Alfred trailed off, seeming to breathe deeply, before grinning faintly. "Not in the best state to be out in public."

Now Arthur was far from stupid. He recognized intimation when he saw it. "Excuse me, are you suggesting that I'm-"

"Not suggestin', ah, what's the word...? Observing," Alfred cut in again, eyeing Arthur curiously.

The constant interrupting was beginning to get on Arthur's nerves. "I think _I'd_ know if _I'm _in heat, no?"

Feisty Omega, huh? A rarity. Saying that Alfred was intrigued was the understatement of the century. While most other Alphas would be turned off, it had the exact opposite effect on Alfred. His friends called him a freak for it. "Yeah, I think you'd know, but I smelled it all the way across the room over all this alcohol and god knows what else. Needless to say, I followed it and found you sittin' here all bored-like. You, my Omega friend, are goin' into heat whether you like it or not, and I suggest you get outta here before more Alphas realize it."

Yes, Arthur was aware that, like Omegas, Alphas were equipped with a legendary sense of smell . How he'd pinpointed Arthur's exact location in the club despite the stench of cologne, alcohol, and tobacco, however, was beyond his imagination; it was disconcerting, but, at the same time, very intriguing. "Well, _you're_ an Alpha. Shouldn't I be worried about you realizing it as well?" Arthur couldn't help himself.

At that Alfred rose from the stool, finishing the beer he'd ordered before leaning down and fixing both hands on the bar counter on either side of Arthur's body, enclosing him between the glossy wood and the Alpha's stifling body. "Maybe..." Alfred breathed into his ear, pressing his nose into Arthur's sandy blonde hair. He inhaled deeply, letting out a rather feral growl of desire as the Omega's scent overrode his rational mind for a split second. "You smell so damn good, I don't know if I can physically walk away from ya at this point." Blatant honesty.

Arthur could go for that. "Then don't."

He actually felt Alfred's lips twitch into a wider grin. "Don't mind if I don't."

"That was idiotic."

"Says the one who came out to a night club entering his heat," Alfred murmured huskily, inching impossibly closer to the Omega.

Arthur finally sputtered, flushing uncomfortably. "... prick..." Why did this guy have to come to this night club of all the clubs on the street? Why did he have to be so goddamn appealing? Him and his stupid libido. Alphas really thought with the wrong head sometimes. Often times.

It seemed Alfred had chosen to ignore that last bit and order another drink, which had just come. Alfred lifted one of his hands to retrieve it from the bartender, who Arthur could only assume was a Beta, for Omegas didn't bartend and an Alpha bartender would have probably started hitting on him already. Alfred was standing up straight now, starting his second beer of the night (or so Arthur assumed, for he couldn't be certain that Alfred hadn't been anywhere else before this). It did not go unnoticed, however, the strategic position of his legs; it was obvious that the other had purposely kept a close proximity so that their legs would remain pressed together. Fuck it all, Arthur was becoming more and more sexually aroused by the minute. Idly he wondered if he was having the identical effect on Alfred.

Said American's voice tore him from his thoughts. "So, where did you say your friends were?"

Arthur shrugged. "Dunno. The twats left me about two... three... ah, a long time ago..." Damn alcohol.

Something about Alfred's expression seemed disturbed. And something about _that_ warmed Arthur's heart. Was it the thought that his friends would just flat out leave him by himself? In a club, as an Omega, no less. Honestly, Arthur had no idea why he hadn't been so paranoid about the situation; it was mostly likely because of the amount of vodka running through his bloodstream. The vodka was also probably responsible for the fact that Arthur wasn't a blubbering idiot under the attention of his new "friend". Who he felt strangely safe with. Despite the lack of his other friends' presence, he felt guarded, untouchable.

"I'm with my friends, too. Actually, I came here with them, I kinda just left them after picking up this incredible scent. I just had to find who it was." Alfred was grinning again, and Arthur decided he liked it that way. "I can't get enough of it," he muttered again into the Omega's ear, enjoying the way he flushed while his lips twitched into a small smile. It was when Arthur registered lips over his ear did he gasp with embarrassing volume. Instinctively he grabbed fistfuls of Alfred's shirt, feeling the rest of his body tense and slump back down again as the other pulled back.

"Fuck, I-I... I am not drunk enough for this..." Arthur turned his stool back around to properly face the bar, hastily ordering another vodka martini. "Extra, extra, extra- ehm, ah, dry." Arthur reached into his pocket for his wallet as the bartender nodded acknowledgement, but by the time the Briton produced the necessary bills the bartender had vanished. Upon closer inspection he could see her at the other end of the counter mixing his drink, plopping in an olive. "What...?"

The Briton gazed around absently for a moment, trying to figure out why she had- oh. Arthur turned a wary eye to Alfred. "Why did you... you... why did youdo that?"

Alfred waved a dismissive hand. "Can't I buy someone a drink?" he asked with a wink, finishing off another beer. How many was that? Two? Three?

It was when they were guessing numbers around four or five that Alfred was losing control of the Alpha animal within and Arthur was losing his ability to care. Well, care all that much. He kept his wits about him. Mostly. And when Alfred had him pressed against the bar counter and began pulling at his shirt he had to draw the line. "A-Alfred, stop, gedda... gedda... what're those things called here...?"

"Taxi?"

"Right."

Arthur didn't remember how he'd made it into the eyesore of a car. What he did remember was what went on inside it. Alfred gave the driver an address and then promptly shut the little sliding window separating the passengers from the driver. There were hot lips on his and hands exploring his legs, pulling him closer, unbelievably, impossibly closer. But it wasn't fulfilling, rather, a bit awkward at the angle the seat in the automobile provided. It was painfully drawn out, and anticipation beaded at the back of Arthur's neck until it grew too heavy to stay there, rolling under his shirt and down his back. He shivered and wrapped his arms around the other's neck, all but sitting in his lap, not that he minded even a little.

Arthur wondered vaguely whether they'd noticed he was gone, his friends, that is. Probably not. Which, he decided, was a good thing. That way they wouldn't go crazy looking for him and file a report that he was missing or something unnecessary like that, because frankly, Arthur didn't want to be found. Not just yet.


	2. Chapter 2

I can't believe this has twelve reviews already. Thank you so much, all of you, even if I haven't replied to you yet.

I should be updating on the weekends, this seemed to work out fine.

Axis Powers Hetalia (c) Hidekaz Himaruya

* * *

Alfred's apartment was the epitome of "bachelor pad". Soda cans collected haphazardly on many of the surfaces around the living room area. A dirty sweatshirt hung lifelessly over the back of the couch that faced a big black television set, layered with dust. A pillow or two laid on the couch, suggesting that sometimes the man was too lazy to even get up off the couch and go to bed. Arthur wouldn't have been surprised if there was an empty pizza box floating around somewhere, maybe in the kitchen. He could bet a lot of money that he badly needed to wash the dishes piling up in the sink. Scrub the pan from last weekend's pancakes.

Now, Arthur _would _have cared had he not been seated comfortably in aforementioned man's arms, knees on either side of his waist and hands eagerly tangling into thick golden hair. He really would have. But he couldn't think straight. Not when he knew that he was currently being carried off to a very eligible's Alpha's bedroom, not when he was engaged in the roughest kiss he'd ever had, not when he was so aroused that he couldn't think of anything else but having that gorgeous cock (Arthur assumed it was, anyway) sinking inside him, being wonderfully filled. During heat, the feeling of being filled was almost a constant need; that was why he was the not-so-proud owner of a variety of different kinds of toys. However, this would be the first time with the real thing. Arthur only expected it to be better. After all, his body was hard-wired for this sort of thing, as weird as that sounded. And that gross slick stuff that wouldn't stop coming out until his heat ended? That would help, right? Too bad he'd only started his heat that day and nothing was really happening yet. He'd heard somewhere that the mere smell of it drove an Alpha insane. Which Arthur would never understand- to him, it was a nuisance. He wondered if Alfred would treat it like gold too, touch it, use it?

"Hnn..." Arthur complained when their lips had parted. He hadn't realized he'd close his eyes, and upon opening them he was met with what had to be Alfred's bedroom. Like the rest of the apartment, it could use a bit of tidying, but it was definitely useable and not full of soda cans and pizza boxes.

The Omega's eyes shot open again as he was put down on the smooth duvet covering the queen bed. Not a second later had the other over him, trapping him between the mattress and his thick body. "Fuckin' hell, waiting... waiting was torture..." Alfred whispered into the Omega's neck, kissing him there.

"You're not th-the only one who wants sex, Alfred," Arthur replied breathlessly, inhaling the other's scent. "And I-I'm not the only... the only one who smells amazing. Fuck me..."

Confidence fueled by Arthur's drunken words, Alfred pressed into him and wedged a hand down between them, pushing his legs apart. "Y'don't have to ask me twice..." he murmured, rocking his hips hungrily against the other's. Alfred pushed his shirt up and unbuttoned Arthur's jeans, slipping a hand beneath them. A gasp sounded from above and Alfred continued on, palming the sensitive organ in his hand through very damp boxers. That couldn't be just from being horny. "Just starting heat, huh? There's so much slick down here..."

Arthur looked away as a small moan escaped his throat, very adverse to talking about that disgusting stuff. "Well, I dunno why, it- hnn!- d-doesn't normally start this early on..."

At this point Alfred didn't know whether his drunken state had been produced by the alcohol he'd consumed or the Omega's wild pheromones. He did know that he wanted more of them, he wanted to smell them everywhere he turned and every time he took a breath. "I'm not complainin'..." The Alpha pulled off the other's shoes and removed his pants and underwear, leaving him only in a disheveled shirt and argyle socks, which Alfred thought was the cutest thing. He wore argyle socks. "I like your socks, Art..."

"Sh-Shut up... and don't call me-"

"Yeah, yeah." Alfred rolled his eyes sat back, pushing Arthur's knees apart again and lowering himself to the comforter. The scent was much stronger down here. Alfred moaned and his eyes rolled back, imagining what the Omega tasted like. He could see slick leaking out all over the other's inner thighs and swiped his tongue across it. He was an Alpha- he was programmed to like the taste of it, there were just no questions about it. He cleaned up what was already there and made a project of kissing the other's lower bits as more slick leaked out of him.

Natural lubrication. It was like his body knew what was coming and had started a day earlier just for Alfred. He shook his head at the thought. Upon sitting back up he noticed that Arthur had ripped his own shirt off, perhaps too hot from all the attention and heat pheromones.

"Hurry up and do it, Alfred. Please. It fucking hurts..." It hurt how badly he wanted the Alpha, wanted to be filled, to relieve the throbbing empty feeling he always felt during heat.

"Alright, I'm coming, hang in there..." Alfred honestly didn't remember when his own shirt came off but he couldn't start worrying about that now, instead opting to unbutton his own jeans and push both layers down enough to expose his own throbbing organ. Covering his fingers in slick, he stroked himself a few times, preparing himself because, well, Arthur was already prepared for this by nature, thankfully. When he was satisfied he lowered himself back down to the Omega, allowing his (gorgeous) legs to wrap around his waist, which was purely instinctual for both of them.

"Just do it," Arthur whispered, already writhing around a little. "I-"

"ALFRED!"

The sudden angry shout made them both jump. But Alfred wasn't startled for long; he whipped around, surprised to see the angry face of his friend Gilbert in the door way. However, in his current state of mind, Gilbert was a threat. Alpha instincts on high, thanks to his activities with Arthur, he was protective of his "mate" and incredibly angry for being interrupted. He shot Gilbert a predatory glare. "Get the fuck out of my house, Gilbert. Don't make me ask ya again."

Gilbert actually had the audacity to scoff. "You're threatening me? That's funny. Now get off the poor guy and-"

Alfred turned to meet Arthur's confused gaze. This had to be pretty mortifying for the other. "D' you know this guy?"

Arthur shook his head. He had no idea what the hell was going on. Why did this other guy have to barge in and ruin everything? Did life hate Arthur that much? Was it too much to ask for one simple fuck?

Registering Arthur's answer, Alfred was off the bed and out for Gilbert's blood, who had bolted from the room to hash it out with Alfred in the living room.

"Why the hell would you come and interrupt me when I'm _clearly _making him very happy?"

"Because you're drunk, you asshole!" Gilbert snarled. "Look at you! What if you'd gone and gotten him pregnant, huh? You'd have to live with that for-"

"The rest of my life, yeah, I know! But it's not as likely to get a male Omega pregnant, ever thought of that? It wasn't gonna happen!"

Gilbert rolled his eyes. "You don't know that. You can't know that."

"Well, if there's one thing I know for certain," he growled, having zipped his pants back up a bit ago. "Is that if this ever happens again, we're done, man." And he meant it. What was wrong with Gilbert, just barging into someone's house- their bedroom, even! - when they were obviously otherwise occupied. Uninvited and definitely unwanted at the time. Alfred could feel his arousal gradually waning. He doubted Arthur would be up for anymore either after this. Dammit.

Gilbert scoffed; he couldn't believe Alfred was reacting like this. It wasn't like him at all. "Fine, if that's the way you want it, but I'm just being a good friend." His harsh crimson eyes narrowed at Alfred. "You're the one who brought us out with you tonight to make sure you didn't do anything stupid like last time!"

Alfred's face went from agitated to furious in less than a second. Did he really have to go and bring that up? "Nice, real nice, Gil. I'll remember to bring up all the shit you do wrong too next time we're on the subject."

"What are you, five? Calm down, Alfred, geez-"

"Then get the hell out of my house, Gilbert. Now."

In the other room, Arthur could hear muffled shouting through the door. Occasional words made it through, words like "friend" and "stupid". Oh. So at least he knew that Gilbert was one of the friends Alfred was talking about back at that night club. So why had he come back to Alfred's apartment? Some explaining would definitely be necessary after this.

Arthur sighed, disappointed, and ruffled around the pile of clothes on the floor until he found a familiar pair of pants. Thanks to the unexpected interruption, he had no trouble fitting his pants back on, although the slick made it uncomfortable. Pants and slick did not go together. With another look around the room, Arthur collapsed back down onto the bed, not quite ready to leave the wonderful smell that saturated the sheets and pillowcases- Alpha. Not that he rolled over and buried his face in them, definitely not.

Arthur was knocked out of his stupor by the sound of a slamming door. He assumed Gilbert had left, and could only be more sure when he heard someone walking back to the bedroom. Alfred's resigned expression confirmed his suspicions. "Fuck... I can't believe him..." Alfred rubbed his hands over his face, groaning into his palms on his way back over to the bed. He sank down on the side of it and glanced over at the Omega. "Sorry, Arthur..." Alfred muttered, rubbing his neck.

"It's not your fault," Arthur grumbled, resting his head in his arms. It really wasn't. Just... ugh. He was incredibly disappointed. He'd been so close to experiencing the real thing, to finally feel another's body tangled with his, forgetting the cold, unyielding presence of a toy. "Damn..." His body quivered, unsatisfied, hungry, but he was unable to bring himself back into the mood. Arthur closed his eyes, rubbing his face. On top of what had just occurred he now felt kind of sick, thanks to the vodka still rushing around his body. He groaned, reluctant to even think, because he knew that would worsen his headache. Arthur rolled onto his stomach and gasped when his shoulder hit something. A voice to his left told him it was just Alfred who had positioned himself next to him.

"Ah... well, um, you can stay the rest of the night if ya want. It's pretty late, or, well, early." Alfred glanced at the digital clock perched on a little table adjacent to his bed, which blared a little past one o'clock on its screen.

Arthur gave a pensive sigh. That definitely sounded like a good idea; the last thing he wanted to do was be out alone on the streets of a big city this late at night as an Omega in heat. No doubt his pheromones would alert many unwanted people of his presence. But, then again, he was an Omega in heat... tomorrow he would wake up covered in slick, aching for fulfillment, hot, and cold all at the same time. Also hungover. Which was _not _welcomed at all, especially not while trying to deal with his stupid body.

Which was worse? The dangers the streets outside the apartment posed at night, or sleeping here, knowing full well that he would be waking up horny and insatiable with an Alpha sleeping maybe right next to him?

Well, he definitely knew which one he _wanted _to go with. What he wasn't sure of was what he _should _be doing, which choice to make, and what was the best possible option in this particular situation. What a pickle had Arthur gotten himself into.

"I dunno, I..." Arthur muttered into one of Alfred's pillows, genuinely torn. Comfy, warm, safe bed with an Alpha in it? Or cold, dark, dangerous streets with knives and guns and who knew what else?

He couldn't think straight, not even his life depended on it. He'd had too much at that god forsaken club, that and the suffocating Alpha pheromones saturating the air around them. Actually, they were rampant in the entire apartment, which wasn't really a surprise, because the man lived there, but if it didn't smell absolutely enticing Arthur didn't know what did. It was almost as if the walls themselves were telling him to stay. Arthur shivered and loosed another groan. Too much, he was thinking too much, way too much. Too much when there were a million different things screaming at him to stay.

So against his better judgment (and usually Arthur was nothing but rational), Arthur rolled back over and let himself sink into the other's bed again. "I think 'm jus' gonna... gonna stay..."

He could hear Alfred's lips stretching into a smile and weight shifting around beside him. "Sounds good ta me." Arthur felt the bed dip and rise again and he assumed Alfred had gotten off. When he came back Arthur glimpsed him; he was clad in only sweatpants. It was when the bed dipped again to signify Alfred's presence beside him again did his eyes slip closed, unable to be kept open. "Mmh..." It was half past one in the morning, Arthur would have noted had he been conscious.


	3. Chapter 3

Eh heh... perhaps two weeks is a more accurate update time?

Thank you for all the gorgeous reviews, you're all amazing. It's so encouraging to get feedback.

Axis Powers Hetalia (c) Hidekaz Himaruya

* * *

On any other day he would have woken up cold, shivering, whimpering for the warmth of his down comforter and squinting against the brutal morning light. But today was not any other day. Instead, Arthur awoke with a damp forehead and a clammy neck, the roots of his hair soaked with sweat. He was anything but cold, rather, extremely warm and uncomfortable. Arthur squirmed around somewhat in a bed that he realized did not feel like his own.

It took less than a second to remember where exactly he was, however. How could he not when his body wouldn't let him forget? Alpha pheromones raged all around him, no matter where he turned or what he stuffed his face into, it was utterly impossible to escape them. Arthur made a quiet sound, wincing at the sticky mess he felt between his legs and probably all over his pants- he was now in full blown heat. That had been the last decent night's sleep he'd get for at least a week.

The Briton it his lip hard and tried to lay still. Maybe he could just fall back to sleep? Five minutes passed with nothing but the sound of deep breathing and the occasional chirp of an early morning bird leaving its nest. And he was still awake. Arthur couldn't fall back to sleep if his life depended on it, not when Alfred was sprawled out next to him in nothing but sweatpants. He couldn't even think, and now he didn't even have the alcohol to blame this problem on.

He silently wished Alfred would wake and pick up where he'd left off the night before. He was hungry for sex, and damn it all if he wasn't going to give it to him. The opportunity was perfect and had now presented itself twice in the past twelve hours.

But should he wake Alfred up himself? Arthur wasn't sure how well that would go down. He might get angry. He might be grumpy in the morning? Or perhaps he would be perfectly fine and Arthur was, once again, over-thinking things. He really needed to get out of that habit.

Deciding against doing so, Arthur tried to ignore his tremendous need, the hot, throbbing need beneath the sheet that covered his body. It wasn't like he could just get dressed and walk home, or even take a cab. First of all, Arthur had no idea in which part of town Alfred's apartment was located, and, secondly, he definitely couldn't drive, walk, or take a cab in his current state. That was out of the question entirely.

But it hurt. Arthur could barely stand it anymore. He rolled over so his back would face the other. Hesitantly he slid a hand down under the waist band on his jeans (that he'd slept in! Arthur would have been appalled if not for his current situation) and ignored the slimy feeling of slick to palm himself, desperately seeking some kind of relief. Arthur stuffed his reddening face into the pillow he'd slept on, biting down on the pillowcase to keep in the sounds he knew he'd make eventually. It was torture. But it was relief. Arthur squeezed his eyes shut and poked at his entrance, grimacing at the sensation of slick leaking passed his index finger, gasping and letting out a shaky breath, hoping this would be over quickly.

"Starting without me?"

The voice from behind him all but gave Arthur a heart attack. He withdrew his hand, removing it faster than he'd ever moved any part of his body in his life. Suddenly, there were lips on his shoulder and he forgot how to breathe.

An arm snaked over his side and Alfred was very close, the skin of his chest grazing the Omega's bare back. Arthur let out a violent shiver. "I believe that's my job, Art..." Alfred murmured, grinning against the other's ear.

Arthur jumped as his ear was suddenly blown into, biting his lip when a hot tongue slid along the outside. "Hah- ehm- good morning..."

"Mornin'..." came the quick response. Alfred's arm shifted and his hand inched lower beneath the sheet they both lay under, stopping between the Omega's damp thighs, stroking them through their denim barrier.

Arthur choked into the pillow he lay against, lying still as the Alpha crept closer. He glanced down at the other's hand- since when had he unbuttoned his jeans? Fuck, he was smooth. "Aaah!" he gasped, but it was quiet. The hand on his legs, it was making the Omega want nothing more than to spread them and get on with it. But something about this foreplay was so sinfully good it was almost painful. The Alpha's hand moved higher and tugged down his pants to get right to it, and it took all of Arthur's will to not start rocking into it. It was warm and it was touching him where he needed it. Arthur eyes rolled back and he began panting a little, still hot. It was a few more moments of this when Alfred had presumably had enough and pulled Arthur's pants off entirely, leaving him bare (again, save for his argyle socks, but Alfred wasn't inclined to making a comment about them now, too fired up) underneath the white sheet. Neither could easily see what was going on but both could be sure they felt it.

A warm finger prodded at the Omega's entrance, smearing slick about the area to ease the process, even though an Omega's body was especially prepared during heat. However, Alfred didn't go farther at that moment, instead opting to tease him with just one finger and suck a few marks into Arthur's neck.

"Mmh..." Alfred gave a wanton noise muffled by the other's neck as he nibbled on the skin there. "I just can't get enough of you..." he whispered, sucking a new mark under Arthur's jaw bone.

The Omega's eyes widened considerably, the unbelievable sensations amplified thanks to his sobriety. He registered every little touch, shifting when fingers crept between his thighs and penetrated his unexpecting body. He couldn't help but lean back into the other, relishing in the more than welcomed presence of the Alpha. "H-How savage of you..."

Alfred's eyes glimmered, tinged with amusement at Arthur's comment. "Heh, all Alpha, as I've been told..." he said lowly, selecting a new spot on the other's neck to mark. He barely knew this Omega, but he couldn't bring himself to care as he devoured him wholeheartedly, marking him up possessively , too high on heat pheromones to stop. Alfred's eyes closed and he pressed closer still, moaning into Arthur's skin as his now very clear arousal pressed against the other's body. He was so addictive and Alfred hadn't even known him for twenty four hours. First off, Arthur was really quite attractive, with the stark, eye-catching contrast of his ivory complexion and verdant eyes and his lean, slender body, perfect for his type. Not that Arthur was the typical Omega- he was quite feisty. And if his accent wasn't the icing on the cake, Alfred didn't know what was.

Arthur let the other devour his neck and soon found himself pulling the Alpha as close as possible, finally turning onto his back and wrapping his arms the other's neck. He pulled him into a real kiss, which Alfred happily obliged as he slipped in a third finger. When had the second one come? No matter, Arthur was currently adjusting to the third one, which took his thoughts away from the previous question. He didn't care. He was also thankful for the part of his heat that made him so pliable (not the slick part); the stretching did not hurt much at all, and while it still felt slightly uncomfortable, Arthur found he was enjoying it. If his fingers felt like this, he found himself wondering, what pleasure would come with the other buried inside him? The Omega gave a small shudder at the thought and the anticipation wracking his limbs and churning his stomach.

Alfred shifted so he kneeled over the Omega and removed his fingers after few moments, not too worried about preparing the other. He was in heat, after all. "I can smell the answer to this question, but I'll ask you anyway... just to be sure. Is this your first real time?"

Oh god, what on earth was the Alpha smelling that could tell him such a thing? Arthur would never know. He was not programmed to pick up on that kind of thing. But he supposed he had to answer honestly, because knowing how strong the scent cues were between Alphas and Omegas, Alfred would be able to tell if he lied. Not that he had any reason to lie. "Yeah..." Arthur said dully, eyes drifting off to the side and then to the other's lower half as he removed his sweatpants and boxers. Alfred really did have a nice physique. Aside from the killer upper body, he did have a lean waist (with the slightest lovehandles, how charming!), a toned abdomen, and hard legs. Speaking of hard, Alfred was using the slick still on his fingers to ready himself.

"Alright, we'll take it a little easier-"

Arthur snorted. "Not _too _easy there, I want to know I'm being fucked," he mumbled into Alfred's neck as the Alpha lowered himself to grind their hips together. He grabbed the other's hair and gave an instinctual tug. "Matter of fact, be as rough as you want- toys simply don't cut it after so many years," he added bitterly.

Alfred, a bit surprised but all the more pleased, murmured a confirmation into Arthur's neck . "Oh man, even when you talk you turn me on. I'll be more than happy to fuck the tea and scones outta you."

"Creat-t-tive..." Arthur began, tripping on the second syllable as he was penetrated. There was no point in sugar-coating things- it hurt like hell. It felt as if he was being torn in half, for Alfred was far larger than any plaything he possessed. "Mnnh..." His arms straightened and his fingers dug roughly into the bottom sheets beneath them both as he scrambled for purchase, back arching, body taut and stiff as he adjusted to the newness of it all. And adjust he did. Rather quickly, thanks to his heat. Arthur didn't realize he was panting until he registered the lips on his heaving chest. He shivered as a tongue ghosted over his right nipple. "Oh god..."

"Just Alfred is fine," he heard from above. Arthur reached up through the burning pain as it slowly ebbed away and smacked Alfred's face, or he tried to, but the man was diving in for a kiss, a hungry one, as if the intense pleasurable sensations had awakened a strong carnal desire and instinct.

Alpha and Omega interaction was the deepest kind of bond. Everything fit together perfectly, everything felt right, felt amazing, and Arthur felt like he could have just let his instincts take over for him and it would still work out fine. He couldn't pinpoint exactly when the pain in his lower half had stopped. What he did know was that the other's solid body was grinding into his own mercilessly, pressing his slender frame into the mattress. Alfred braced his hands on the bed on either side of the other's body and buried his face in Arthur's neck as he rocked forward, sliding farther inside, busying his lips against the other's skin. A wet, squelching sound came from between their sticky bodies and Alfred loosed a moan, imagining the copious amounts of slick leaking from the other even while connected with an Alpha.

All the Omega could do was pant and writhe and try to breathe. His legs had locked around the other's hips, another thing he didn't exactly remember doing voluntarily. Arthur gazed unseeingly up at the ceiling as the other penetrated him further. In a rush of, well, something, his body told him to make the job easier, to open up wider and he tried, arching again and letting out a rather embarrassing whimper. Alfred didn't seemed phased, continuing to rock slowly into him, switching to the other side of his neck. Arthur's eyes squeezed shut tight and he let his arms wrap around the other's neck, clinging to his source of unbelievable pleasure and connection. They were so compatible it was disgusting.

He wanted to forget everything. Let himself have what he craved, just this once. A small escape wasn't too much to ask for, was it?

Arthur spilled his satisfaction some time later, how many minutes or hours he had no way of knowing, and heaved a wanton sound as the Alpha pounded into him a few more times before he finished as well, knotting heavily inside him. Arthur had forgotten about this part but wasn't about to complain, sobbing still from the intense sensations wracking his body. He didn't move, still latched onto Alfred as the other shifted so as to accommodate the forming knot. He was so full.

"Hey, shhh... stay still and relax..." Alfred whispered in Arthur's ear as the other's hips squirmed around beneath him. "You'll only... cramp up if you move around..." Alfred shivered as he emptied himself, but groaned in satisfaction against Arthur's shoulder, completely sated. He could tell Arthur was intensely sated as well, he could smell it on him miles away. After fulfilling heat sex, an Omega produced the most wonderfully-smelling pheromones. Arthur might have been a stubborn Omega but he still smelled like the best of them.

The knot had released a little bit later and Alfred pulled out of him with another sated groan, collapsing on the bed next to him. It was only then as semen and slick dripped thickly out of him did Arthur's eyes snap open and sit bolt upright. Everything came crashing into him at once.

He was an Omega, Alfred was an Alpha. Sex. In heat. Knotting. That could only lead to two things.

Oh no.

Arthur was up and off the bed in a shot, scrambling to do up his pants and find his jacket. He shivered and his eyes widened fearfully, frantically tugged at his jacket sleeves to get them on. This couldn't be happening.

Arthur jumped sky high when two hands touched his shoulders and pulled him back somewhat. "Wh-What's going on?" Came Alfred's voice from just behind him, breath rustling messy blonde hair. "Where are you going?"

Where was he going? Arthur couldn't think straight. It was common knowledge that panicking was the absolute worst thing one could do in a bad situation, but Arthur thought common knowledge could make an exception for him. He could very well be pregnant, or on his way to being as they stood there, and there was no way to stop it. Sure, male Omegas had less of a chance of being impregnated than female Omegas, but there was that chance. What if he was? Oh, what had he done? Arthur couldn't breathe. He felt his stomach sink to the ground and twist up tightly. That wretched alcohol and those wretched pheromones. (Which, by the way, still tormented him, but after such great satisfaction an Omega in heat was allowed by his body some short time of sated rest before starting up again, hungry for sexual stimulation.) If only he hadn't drank...

But there was no point in dwelling on what could have been, because now there could be a serious problem. Arthur's chest heaved in panic. "I-I..."

"... what?"

Arthur was silent for a spell. He said nothing but gazed at the opposite wall fearfully, nervously. Frustration and grief was evident in his eyes.

Alfred could be heard sighing in front of him. "Well, alright... since you're not answering, I guess I'll just bring you- oh..."

"Bloody hell, you're slow..." was the first thing that slipped from his lips, which remained a bit redder from the previous night's and earlier this morning's activities. His skin, still littered with marks from the other, was cold now. (Being cold was typical of an Omega, who was typically pretty skinny and on the short side.)

"Shit..." Alfred replied intelligently.

"I need... I need to go." It was when Arthur turned to run to the door and exit the apartment did Alfred reach out and pull him back in. He might have been a bit slow to realize what Arthur was freaking out about, but now that he was up and thinking on his feet (something he was generally better at), he could start thinking of a way to solve this.

"You're not goin' anywhere alone, at least not until your heat's over. You aren't even supposed to be outside your house during heat..." Alfred glanced around the room for a moment before looking back at Arthur's gaze. "It's best if you get home- I'll bring you."

Arthur's expression rearranged to form one of astonishment and outrage. "What?! What about... I need to find a doctor, imbecile!"

Alfred paid no mind to Arthur's fussing. "Are you even thinkin'? If I remember anything at all from health in high school it's that an Omega's heat drives them crazy. D'you really think you'll be able to do anything productive even if ya found one?" The American let out a sigh and released Arthur's arm, hoping he was calm enough to see reason. Normally, Alfred didn't do much deep thinking on behalf of others, but this was a little different. And even if he barely knew Arthur, he felt almost required to soothe his worries. Perhaps it was a different brand of instinct? "You gotta get home, I'll take you. Please, lemme help you." Alfred had no idea why he felt so inclined to help the poor guys, but he wasn't going to argue with feelings that strong.

After a few more minutes of convincing and calm words Alfred was able to get Arthur into his car and strapped safely into the passenger seat. It was a nightmare driving with the concentration of pheromones trapped inside the small space the car had to offer between them, but Alfred pulled through. Miraculously.

Arthur was unbelievably grateful to finally be home. His eyes watered, which was probably because of his chaotic pheromones and hormones, and he moaned into the cold pillow at the head of his bed. Yes, he'd probably be washing every piece of his bed dressing when his heat was over, but at the moment he couldn't care less. He was home and he could cry and whimper and scream and go insane in peace. If that made any sense.

After any number of minutes Arthur turned onto his back and gazed blankly up at the ceiling. There was nothing he could do until his heat was through with him, Alfred was right. Arthur knew that a few days wouldn't mean much for a pregnancy, but it was still a hard thing to swallow. The Briton never liked to admit something like this even to himself, but he was rather scared.

The gray light of the morning leaked through the drawn curtains and splayed over the opposite wall. All that, and it wasn't even noon yet. The thought alone had Arthur feeling exhausted. But it was only so long until his body began to nag at him again, itching and burning and writhing and panting. Arthur groaned quietly. Why did life hate him?

Vaguely he wondered about his friends. Damn them, damn them all for having dragged him along with them. Hmph. Had they even called yet? He _had _been gone for a while with no word. Arthur sat up and peered over at his cell phone, sitting forgotten on his bedside table. It remained silent and dark, devoid of messages. Huh.

Arthur had been about to turn back over and get whatever sleep he could when his eyes caught something yellow. Impressive brows knitted, he reached over and snatched it off the table- a note? Curiously, his fingers straightened it out.

'Ifyou need anything...' it read, and there was a number scrawled sloppily underneath. Was that a four, or...?

Arthur could only think of one person who could have left the note there. The only person who'd been in his house in the past month. He'd helped him back up to his apartment, boldly insisting that he walk him all the way to the door. "Damn... Alfred..."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 is here. I know there has been a lot of M-rated content up until now, but there won't be much more for a little while after this. The story will still be good though, so don't go away.

Check out my other story, Behind His Eyes, also USUK, a western AU.

I do not own Axis Powers Hetalia.

* * *

Honestly, the only thing Arthur could think of was the Alpha from the club. As he wrapped himself in a blanket cocoon and shivered and sweated, he was the only face that came to mind. The toys just weren't doing serving their purpose any longer, not after what he'd had that morning. They weren't satisfying or even relieving, but frustrating and cold and fake. So horribly fake. Relief now lasted even shorter periods. This heat had Arthur clinging to the precious moments of sleep he managed to get. Not that sleep gave him an escape. He dreamed of the Alpha. He imagined Alfred lying with him in the poorly constructed nest (since Arthur had come home that fateful morning and hastily pushed blankets together), imagined breathing him in and having something alive and warm to hold onto. It just sounded so wonderful. So much better than this.

Unfortunately for Alfred, he could not hide away from the world for the entire week like he wanted to. He wanted to curl up in bed and forget everything for a few days, forget that he may have impregnated the Omega. But life wouldn't allow it. He had classes to attend, classes that he and his parents had spent a fortune on. He spent the entire weekend doing nothing and dreading the coming days for one reason- the prospect of telling his friends or having them find out what he might have done. Again.

_"I can't believe it... how could I be so stupid?!"_

On Monday he had no choice but to suck it up and get to his morning lecture. He stopped for a coffee and was at the hall shortly after. Alfred groaned as he found a seat and let his head rest on the table next to his notebook. He was absolutely not in the mood to be dealing with any of his-

"Al, where were you all weekend?" came a loud voice from a few seats down. Alfred didn't even bother looking up at its owner, already having identified the person as the one man he wanted to see the least that morning. "Someone's tired, eh? What the hell did you-"

"Nothing," Alfred snapped. He hadn't noticed how irritable he was until that very moment. "I did nothing, leave me-"

Gilbert snorted. "Ah? No way, you got a problem? What'd ya do, wake up on the wrong side of the couch this morning?" he taunted, grinning from ear to ear, messy platinum hair and crimson eyes contributing to his impish look.

Alfred finally picked his head up, a scowl present on his tired face. "Shut up." Couldn't Gilbert tell he was pissed off? He just felt so incapable and dumb, having made the same mistake twice now. It was a considerable blow to his ego, and it made him want to kill something out of frustration. The American sighed and propped his elbow on the desk surface, leaning his cheek in his hand. Perhaps he had been a bit of a jerk to other as well. Alfred sighed, chest deflating. He glanced wearily up at Gilbert. "Hey, man, I... I'm sorry... for sayin' all that shit in my apartment. I was just-,"

"Oh, so _that's _what this is all about." Gilbert nodded mildly. "It's all good, Alfred, I figured you didn't really mean it." He would definitely settle for that response. He got the sense that Gilbert wasn't mad at him. Thankfully. Alfred wasn't mentally prepared for another showdown.

"So, anyway, what happened with that Omega? Is he home?"

"Yeah."

There was a pregnant pause as their eyes shifted around."So...?" Gilbert pressed.

Alfred's stomach lurched uncomfortably. Gilbert couldn't just let it drop, could he? He really could use to forget about it for a while, and even though his own brain wasn't letting him, the German certainly wasn't helping matters. Alfred's expression fell. He couldn't get the Omega out of his head. He was sad for him, yet hopeful that he would avoid conception, remorseful and frustrated because of what he'd allowed to happen again. The worst part was that he'd been completely sober that morning when they'd gone all the way. A bit hungover, but still sober. He made the conscious decision to have sex with Arthur, and Alfred could have killed himself for it as he sat there in class, roasting in his own guilt and anger. He'd never forget the look in Arthur's eyes when it all dawned on him. The guilt was eating him alive from the inside.

Alfred shifted in his chair to face Gilbert properly, squaring his shoulders. "So what?" His jaw set firmly, the American turned away from the other Alpha and leaned on the table provided by the lecture hall.

"So, you-" Gilbert cut himself off before he could say much, and Alfred realized too late that turning that direction had been a bad idea. "Nice hickey, Al..." Gah, he should have worn a sweatshirt or something that wrapped higher around his neck, trying to hide the evidence from Gilbert. But he'd noticed, and the questions were sure to come.

"How far did you go with him?" And there it was. Gilbert was being unpleasantly serious. Alfred couldn't stand it. Lucky they were in a lecture hall, Alfred couldn't nail him in the jaw here.

"It's none of your business."

"Sure it is, you're my friend and I'm tryin' to-"

"Fine! I knotted inside him, you fuckin' happy?" he finally admitted, blurting out the blunt truth so the other wouldn't have to ask anymore stupid questions. Gilbert wasn't anyone of authority, and, thankfully, not Arthur's Alpha sibling or parent. Had that been the case, Alfred would have had quite the problem.

His friend just looked away, glancing quietly at some point past Alfred's head. "I tried to warn you..."

"I know, Gil..." Alfred sighed heavily, drained of any energy he would have needed to continue being angry. Now all that was left was guilt and uneasiness. He would have done anything, given anything to make time flow backward, to stop this from happening. Arthur didn't deserve this. "It's just... I can't forget about him. It's different this time, I feel so horrible..."

Gilbert's eyes flicked back over to the American's crestfallen gaze. "Hm..."

Lecture was starting, driving Gilbert back to the chair he'd claimed before he'd spotted Alfred. It probably would have been an interesting lesson with useful information had his mind not been otherwise occupied. There was no way he could have concentrated on the lesson even if he cared enough to at the moment. Alfred wondered why he had even come to class today. He supposed it would be a waste of time to attend the rest of his classes that day, but what else was he supposed to do? Moping would not do any good. Unfortunately, that was all he wanted and felt up to doing.

Later, Alfred moved robotically through a laboratory session, measuring chemicals and wiping mortars as they came along. His motions were absentminded as he mind was very much absent, well at work thinking about Arthur and the situation they'd been thrust into. Vaguely he wondered how the man's heat was treating him. He hadn't seen Arthur in a few days, and he guessed that he was probably hiding out in his bedroom trying to sleep. _"Sounds like a good idea," _Alfred thought, a faint, but bitter grin poking at his lips.

Arthur had no idea what time of day it was, having woken up from a listless sleep during some small hour of the morning disoriented, hot, and filled with intense need. He whined and groped around for a toy to take the edge off the urgent feeling. It was horrible and he felt disgusting. On top of the now dirty sweat and semen and slick-stained blankets he'd utilized to make the slipshod nest on Saturday morning, he'd been unable to satisfy his craving and need for physical contact. And he was damn sure it was all Alfred's fault.

Arthur was becoming horribly desperate. Surpassing the toys, what brought him over the edge countless times that week was remembering how it had been that morning in Alfred's apartment. Amazing. Gratifying. Satisfying, so sweetly satisfying. Without it, his heat was unbearable. He had reason to be desperate.

Not that that made it perfectly alright to call the man (still practically a stranger) over. Remembering that Alfred had left his cell phone number (for reasons Arthur had yet to figure out), the Briton managed to find his own phone and, after a decent amount of time spent trying to come up with an excuse to ask the man to come to his apartment without making himself look pathetic, dialed it. He just smelled so amazing, felt incredible, and Arthur was sure that even just a whiff of that intoxicating Alpha scent would send him spinning in ecstasy.

His excuse was actually pretty plausible. He'd murmured over the phone after the other's uncertain greeting that there was someone outside his apartment building that smelled rather threatening to his hyper-active senses. Of course, there was no such person out there on the sidewalk, but Arthur had managed to get the other to agree to come (which hadn't taken much convincing or pleading at all, Arthur noticed).

He knew exactly when the other had stepped out of his car outside the building; his body's reaction was unmistakable. Arthur breathed deeply, trying to reacquaint himself with the wonderful scent as the Alpha moved into the building. "Nngh..." Arthur actually moaned, burying his face in the blankets directly after doing so. Damn him, that man. Arthur wondered if Alfred remember which apartment number he was. The anticipation was killing him, it was brutal, slowly wearing him down until he could think of nothing but the other buried inside him, hot skin pressed together, unbearably close. He was ripped from his fantasy, however, at the knock on his apartment door. Arthur shivered. He _did_ remember the apartment number.

"Hello? Arthur?" came the familiar voice.

Oh gods, no. It wasn't a good sign if Arthur could barely handle hearing his voice. "It's open..." Arthur called back, unsure if his voice had reached the other from all the way in the bedroom, but the door was creaking open a few seconds later, so he must have just entered on his own will. Arthur bit his lip when he heard the door click shut again and sensed the other's presence in the apartment. No need to call, Alfred would find him.

He was quite pleased and slightly surprised that the man had actually come up to his apartment; Arthur hadn't specified that bit, only mentioning the "strange man" on the sidewalk below. Obviously, Alfred hadn't seen a man, so what was he still doing there? Arthur couldn't suppress another shiver as the source of the strong Alpha pheromones got closer to his bedroom door. He curled up tighter in the blanket he'd wrapped around himself, eyes trained on the door, waiting for the other's broad form to appear.

When it did, Arthur stopped breathing. The air had thickened in all of a second as their eyes locked. It was terrifying. Arthur looked away after a spell. "H-Hi..." he muttered.

Alfred seemed stiffen at the sound of his weak greeting. "Hey, uh, I think it's safe down there..." He glanced out the window for a moment. "I didn't see anything." The American's eyes came back to his after another second, but trailed off again, taking in the rest of his room, which must have smelled unbelievable to the Alpha, and his body, concealed by only blankets. Clothes didn't mix well with heat.

Arthur sputtered for a moment, at a loss for coherent words of any kind. Finally, after opening and closing his mouth a few times, he managed a small "thank you" from the depths of his blanket cocoon.

"Sure..." Alfred replied warily. Arthur noticed his tense shoulders and, well, tense everything. His whole demeanor was strained, but that was to be expected. The pheromone levels were probably driving him insane.

The Briton closed his eyes, searching inside himself for something to say, but with his body in overdrive he could barely think straight, which was probably why he didn't think twice when suddenly there were lips upon his.

The other's larger weight was on him the next second, warm through the blanket barrier. Arthur could only imagine how hot he would feel without it. He gave a needy mewl and yanked his arms out of the blankets to wrap them around the other's neck. Warm hands cupped his face and slid back into matted blonde hair, having gone without being washed since that fateful Friday. He'd never thought about this before, but Arthur imagined that he smelled rather foul, what with all the sweating he'd been doing, plus lying in the same pile of blankets for over three days. He'd never been so self-conscious while in heat, usually too busy trying to deal with the sensations wracking his body, but Alfred made him fret over every possible thing, even the way he smelled.

When the other pulled back a bit for air Arthur choked out "S-Sorry if I-", but wasn't quick enough, for the other dove back in for a second kiss a just a second later, strained demeanor from just before now hungry and feral. By the predatory haze in the other's eyes , Arthur assumed that he either didn't smell anything or didn't mind whatever he smelled.

He decided he was content to continue like that, clinging tightly to the Alpha's body and letting himself be devoured. It was only when Arthur began to push up against him that Alfred snapped out of whatever trance he'd been caught in and he sat up, lifting his hands from the other and holding them up and away. "Wh-What...?" Arthur muttered, suddenly very upset at the loss of the other's closeness. It was cold without him.

To Arthur's despair, Alfred shook his head bitterly. "I... I can't. We can't. Say you're actually not pregnant and we got lucky the first time- I don't think that'll happen a second time. I don't wanna increase the chances of conception..." Alfred explained, cerulean eyes glinting dejectedly.

Conception? Arthur had forgotten all about their little predicament when the other had entered his house. Alfred had an amazing, but dangerous effect on him, it seemed. But this was kind of cruel, to just come in and do that and then just drop everything. But Arthur couldn't argue with logic. "I-I guess..." Alfred was right, no matter how hard Arthur tried to deny the fact.

Arthur cast his eyes off to the side again, shifting in his blanket wrap, which was now considerably looser. He felt so desperate, so needy, so greedy, and it was all his body's fault.

When Arthur looked back up Alfred was gazing down at him intensely, taking in his blushed red face, watery, stinging green eyes and sweaty hair. He seemed to be at an internal crossroads, fighting himself about some decision. Arthur couldn't tell which side was winning. But what could he be struggling with? The situation was cut and dry, really.

It felt like an hour had gone by before Alfred opened his mouth again, though it was only a minute or two. "I can't give you what you need, but I can help you feel better at least for a little while..." he began, voice low and hoarse with emotion. He gave a quick grin and a wink of reassurance. "Meaning, my pants stay on." Alfred shifted and leaned back down some, running a hand over the folds of the blankets. "Just say the word..."

Arthur didn't know what to feel at that point. It was frustrating with Alfred here knowing they couldn't just get to it, but reasoning prevailed. He sighed, eyes wide and conflicted with his own inner turmoil. He supposed that it couldn't hurt to let Alfred help him feel if he couldn't decide how to on his own. "Well, erm... fine..."

The other gave a small smile at the affirmative answer but didn't waste any time, shedding his sweatshirt to combat the temperature of the room and leaning right in to press his lips to the other's neck. "You're not wearing anything under there, are you?"

Arthur turned a vibrant red. "You really need to learn some tact, twit, I-"

"I'll take that as a no," Alfred cut in, a humored smile gracing his lips. It brightened him that the other still had some spunk in him. "Let's get these blankets out of here..." he murmured, and sifted through them until he found the ends, pulling them apart and away from Arthur.

The Briton shivered at the sudden exposure to cooler air and instinctively pulled the other down to him, craving his natural warmth. He rocked his hips up against the other's clothed ones, any kind of contact welcome at this point. He just needed something. _Anything._

He felt a hand brush near his stomach and his legs parted. He yelped when it took hold of him and began a stroking motion, repeating over and over again for a minute or so until the other released his hold and hooked his hands under Arthur's knees, bring his legs up so he could kiss his knee and follow the inner part of his legs down to the sensitive skin between them. Arthur's hips jerked when those lips touched his sex, blowing air at the tip to psych him up. "Hn! Alfred-"

"Shhh..." Alfred took the throbbing organ in his mouth and everything went too quickly from there. He pushed the other to ejaculate in his hand and proceeded to arouse him again, which wasn't too much of a feat considering that he was in heat and his periods of rest didn't normally last too long. He attached his lips to the skin behind Arthur's ear while his lower half worked the other back into a pulsing erection. When satisfied with the mewls and groans of need from below he propped himself up on one elbow and eased a finger into the Omega.

"Mnnh," Arthur groaned, in wanton pleasure but in frustration as well. There would only be fingers, nothing else. But even they were better than plastic toys or his own fingers. They were thicker and rougher than his own. He gladly accepted a second and then a third digit, gasping out their welcome as the Alpha pleasured him as best he could without the danger of conception.

Alfred left that day feeling good that he'd helped the Omega get some peace for a few hours, having tired him out completely, but also ashamed and disgusted with himself for letting anything happen at all when he knew very well that they'd already gone way too far. He was also confused. He had no idea why he'd just dropped everything and raced to the other's apartment complex when his phone rang. It had been such a strong emotion propelling him out the door. Alfred drove home and went straight to bed, having not the energy nor the will to do anything productive. Everything was just so fucked up.

It was another day or two before Arthur showered up, scrubbing the crusted slick from his legs and loosening his matted hair, put on some pleasant clothing and left the house. He knew he was only supposed to miss class for his heats, something he'd worked out with the administrators at his campus, but he figured he could take an extra day for a perfectly necessary visit to the doctor. Arthur took his car over to the next town and nervously entered the waiting room in the building his doctor practiced in. He gave a bitter smile. He hadn't been this nervous to set foot inside a doctor's office since he was a small child.

Arthur sat stiff in a hard metal chair, staring blankly at the hazardous pile of magazines on the small coffee table in front of his seat until he was called in. "Arthur?" came the soft voice of one of the secretaries. The Briton didn't speak, only standing and following the woman through a door and into one of the examination rooms. It was a neutral beige color with a white tiled floor, furnished with whatever was necessary in a doctor's office. A bench, a scale, a counter and some drawers, nothing out of the ordinary. All bland and beige. "The doctor will be in shortly," the woman clipped, and Arthur offered her a nod as she backed out of the room and pulled the door shut.

The silence of the small room brought Arthur's thoughts to the surface. He was still having a hard time believing that Alfred had just come over at the drop of a hat and it had lead to... that. What Arthur didn't want to admit was that he'd enjoyed immensely, the relief from the throbbing heat a well-needed reprieve. It was welcomed. But it was a horrible idea in the long run. Arthur barely even knew him, still. Yet, as hard as he tried, no matter how many ways, Arthur couldn't stop thinking about him.

He had to stop thinking about him then, for the doctor had knocked and entered the room. "Good morning, Arthur, haven't seen you in a while. That's a good thing, is it not?"

Arthur had at least the decency to make light conversation. "It certainly is," he replied with a miniscule smile.

"What brings you in today?"

There it is. There was no point in delaying anything. Arthur took a breath. Doctors didn't judge, right? "I need a pregnancy test," he said quickly.

The other seemed stunned for an instant, perhaps processing what the Briton had said, although a second or two later he was smiling happily. "Certainly. May I ask who the f-"

Arthur cut him off. No need to lie to his doctor, or pretend this was planned and something to celebrate. "It... It was an accident. It... I just need to know if I'm pregnant or not..." he muttered.

"... ah. A-Alright, hang tight for a second, Arthur..." The doctor turned to leave the room, but stopped and looked back around at the Briton. "In that case... shall we test for anything that could have been transmitted?"

STDs, huh? Probably was a good idea. Arthur sighed. "Couldn't hurt."

It was about a week or so later that Arthur received the fateful piece of mail. He sat on his bed and opened it quickly, not one for dragging things out dramatically. It was unnecessary and just prolonged the horrible uncertainty he felt nestled in the pit of his stomach. Arthur's eyes whizzed through the printed words, comprehending at a speed only possible with a rush of adrenaline.

He passed the first part of the test, clean and free of any transmitted infections or diseases, but he almost couldn't believe the words he read on the next line.

There was only one thing left to do. Arthur dug his hand into his pocket and dialed Alfred Jones' number for the second time that week. It rang once, twice, three times...

He didn't wait for a greeting. "I'm pregnant, Alfred."


	5. Chapter 5

SO sorry for the delay. College applications and finals take up so much time. But I digress, here is chapter five, the longest yet.

Axis Powers Hetalia (c) Hidekaz Himaruya

* * *

_"Wh-What?"_

_"I'm pregnant, Alfred."_

_This wasn't happening. It wasn't supposed to be like this, it wasn't supposed to be like this at all. To lead to all this chaos. There were no feelings, no sentiment, no attachment. Alfred's blood turned to ice and cold, stiff fingers found their way into disheveled blonde hair. Cobalt eyes widened as he carefully lowered himself to sit on his bed, unsure if he could even hold himself up after hearing those words._

_I'm pregnant._

_"..."_

_"Alfred?"_

_His mind was a whirlwind of assumptions and conclusions. What was going to happen now? The American was still and sat silently with his eyes glued to the floor, a stony expression replacing the one of shock he wore just a few seconds ago. He gazed ahead unseeingly. This was a dream, wasn't it? It had to be. This couldn't happen to him. It always happened to someone else. Always._

_"Hello?! Alfred, are you-"_

_"Why?!" Alfred interjected, cutting the other voice short. His expression changed once more, from stony to panicked, clutching at the phone. "I don't understand how this happened- we used-"_

_The female voice on the other end cut him off with more exclamations. Alfred could picture Alexa's horrified face and devastated eyes as she spoke, most likely clutching the phone to her ear as well on the other end. "... and my father, he's, well, I'm scared for you, even though I don't really know you, I-"_

_Alfred, already upset by the whole situation, growled and slammed his hand into the nearest bed post, rattling the frame. "Stop! Just stop. I don't care what your father does at the moment, I'm just still trying to understand how this fuckin' happened, it was impossible! You said you weren't in heat."_

_There was a long pause on the other end, a stomach wrenching silence than made the American doubt everything he'd ever said or done. After a few seconds of hearing only breathing, Alfred spoke. "Hello?"_

_"I-I... I think I was."_

"ALFRED!"

Alfred was snapped out of whatever trance he'd been in at the sharp snapping of his name from the speaker of his cell phone. "A-Arthur?" It took a second, but the unique sound of Arthur's voice brought him back to reality and the present.

It was as if the words from his past had been cut out of time's fabric and thrown back at him. An intense feeling of morbid familiarity washed over Alfred in that moment as his eyes widened and stared at the opposite wall; the forming pit in his stomach was the most uncomfortable thing he'd ever felt in his life. There he sat in the same place on the edge of his bed; it was a few hours past noon and Alfred had been busy finding something productive to do before his night class began when his phone received the fateful call. It was the second round, and Alfred was 0 for 2, it seemed.

"Pregnant..." he repeated, testing the word on his tongue and ears as if completely foreign to him.

Arthur's dull demeanor was obvious even over the phone. When he spoke his voice was gray and defeated. "Yes, you imbecile, pregnant. Know what it means?"

Alfred sighed. If he was going to be going through this again, at least he could handle things a bit more rationally, though it was sort of sad to think of it that way. "Yeah, I know what it means..." Alfred let his gaze fall a bit lower. Where to go from here? "Well... who knows about this?"

There was a pause before Arthur spoke, as if the man hadn't thought about it. "Just the doctor, and... w-well, obviously me and you."

Another silence. Where could they start? There was so much to talk about yet so little to say. Alfred wanted to talk to the Briton face to face, but at the same time he didn't want to see him at all. The situation was a fragile one. He had to keep his own emotions in check and try not to panic, to keep a cool head and think about everything logically, no matter how hard and frustrating it would be. Alfred's fingers shook as he rubbed his neck nervously. His throat had run dry long ago and now he was running his tongue over his chapped lips, coughing on an attempt to speak. When he did his voice was hoarse.

"Arthur, I-"

_Click._

Silence again. And that was it. Alfred was met with nothing as the phone call dropped. "Damn..." he murmured to himself as he let the cell phone slip out of his hand and onto the duvet next to him. Arthur had hung up without any warning or last words. Why? Alfred could think of many reasons why, actually. He was embarrassed, ashamed, defeated. Nervous about what the future held. What would happen to him? To them both? What was the next step? Or, better yet, what was the first step out of this mess?

What he hadn't done with Alexa was take it any further than this. Alexa was just another pretty Omega girl he'd met in his freshman year at university. There hadn't been any alcohol or anything involved that night, and Alfred had asked her more than once if she was in heat, to which she'd insisted that she was indeed not. So there was nothing wrong with going all the way for mere pleasure. Right?

Wrong. He'd received a call with shocking news about a month later when Alexa must have began noticing that something wasn't quite right with her body.

The story ended there, as far as Alfred was concerned, but not without threats from the girl's Alpha father, disconcerting little letters sent in the mail promising his death or his pain. They stopped when Alexa's family moved away, most likely to get away from it all. Alfred hadn't seen or heard about them since he found out they were leaving for a city far away from New York, which he was definitely relieved and grateful for. The last thing he needed at the moment was a fight.

What he did need was to fix the present. Alfred felt utterly sick for the rest of the day, arguing with himself, struggling with the predicament. He felt an intense need to make everything better, a strong sense of obligation. He was going to support Arthur if it was the last thing he'd ever do.

Arthur had hung up that night out of immense uncertainty and fear. He had no idea what to say to the other, or what was the next appropriate step to take. All he wanted to do was hide in bed for the next couple of months. That would be the easy way out of everything.

But that obviously wasn't an option. He still had to work, even though he had a reason to stop attending classes. That was the depressing part of it; usually, an Omega wanted to leave school and _could _leave work once blessed with a child because they had a loving Alpha partner to support them. An Omega was happy to be pregnant and overjoyed to be starting a family. But Arthur was none of those things and had no loving partner to support him. His stomach squirmed when he thought about Alfred. He was unsure of how to feel about him or what to say to him, even how to act around him. It was hard to resent him for all of what happened, Arthur was having trouble bringing himself to be angry. All he could feel for certain was exhaustion from the stress of the pregnancy test and the taxing days of his heat that subsided only a day or two ago. Deep down he knew that he was just as much to blame for all of this that Alfred was, and that being the Omega partner didn't excuse him from anything. He could have said no, he could have insisted. He also should have been more in tune with his body. Arthur still couldn't believe that Alfred had picked up that he was starting his heat but he himself hadn't noticed a thing.

Arthur called the university and let them know of his situation so as to remove himself from the roster. He was done for a while, perhaps even forever. It was a devastating thought, but Arthur pushed it aside before the concept could sink in.

He spent the next few days lying around doing nothing productive, which, under normal circumstances, would have horrified the Briton to no end. Now Arthur told himself he needed time to let everything sink in and to sort everything out in his head. He found himself touching his mid-section at times, holding it, prodding it tenderly. It wasn't that he'd grown any larger than he normally was, because his appearance had remained unchanged so far- it was the mere idea of being pregnant, of having a child, that threw him for a loop.

One of his more composed days came and he finally checked his cell phone. Turned out his friends had called him the morning after his "disappearance" at the club. Arthur curled up in bed and listened to the voicemail he'd received over the past two or three days in which all he'd done was work and sleep. He let his tired eyes close as he listened to Felix's sincere voice hoping he got home safe and to call him back as soon as he got the message.

"I guess I should..." Arthur murmured to himself, pulling the phone away from his ear to squint at the illuminated screen, flipping through the device until he came across Felix's number.

"Arthur?!" An emotional voice sounded when the phone stopped ringing. "We were so worried about you! Thank god you finally called!"

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Hello, Felix. Is everyone okay? Tell them I'm alive and well, if you please."

"Of course I will! I'm just so happy you called. Seriously, Toris and I were thinking about reporting a missing person if you didn't call in the next day or so," Felix continued.

Really? It had been almost a week and they were only _now _thinking about filing a missing person report? Some friends. "Yeah, well... can I, er, tell you something?"

"Huh?" the Polish boy chirped, caught off guard by Arthur's serious tone. "Sure, Arthur, what's up?"

Arthur's throat closed. Someone had to know, he had to tell someone. He couldn't hide it forever anyhow, they would notice him absent from his classes and his lack of calls. He opened his mouth to speak but no sound was emitted; he tried desperately to form the right words but only short, stuttering sounds of the beginning a failed sentence escaped his lips. Arthur gave a shaky sigh.

It must have taken him a bit too long to answer, for Felix's voiced pierced the growing silence on the line, concerned. "Arthur? Are you-"

"I'm pregnant," the Briton cut in, blurting it out while he still felt the courage. He was starting to lose faith in his voice. Every time he pushed the words out they were slightly more believable, sinking deeper into his mind each time he heard them aloud. _"I am... I'm pregnant..."_

There was a long, surprised sort of silence that followed Arthur's confession. It was only when the Briton had begun to assume that Felix had dropped the phone in shock or something of the like that the accented voice on the other end yelled, "Toris! Arthur's pregnant!" His voice was gleeful, completely ignorant to the Briton's situation and the hellish feeling in his chest. Though, how could he know? "Oh, Arthur, that's fantastic! Tell me-"

"Felix!" Arthur barked, stopping the giddy Pole in his proverbial tracks. Sometimes Felix could be unhealthily unobservant and, in Arthur's opinion, _way _too upbeat and animated. "Sorry, it's just... it was an accident. Nothing to be happy about. I'm sorry."

There was a few second pause before a light gasp. "Oh... I-I'm sorry, I didn't... um..."

There was a shuffling noise in Arthur's ear and muffled words. A moment later a more composed voice began to speak. "Hey, Arthur's it's Toris. I'm so sorry about this... do you need to talk?

Arthur would have scoffed if that wasn't such a rude thing to do to a friend. Talk? That was the last thing he wanted to do. What was there to even discuss? He was careless and got knocked up. No matter how much he'd wanted it. Alfred was just so intriguing. He actually accepted Arthur for the screwed up Omega he was, for all the things he'd snapped. He supposed he didn't know the American all that well, and that Alfred certainly didn't know him, but he found that he'd enjoyed his company immensely, setting aside the sex, which he'd also enjoyed immensely. If only they'd been more cautious, they could have actually had something.

Could they still? Arthur's head throbbed when he thought about it for more than a minute or so.

"Arthur?" came Toris' voice, uncertain.

Lost in his thoughts, Arthur decided that now was a good time to end the conversation. "I'm here, Toris. Actually, I'm afraid I have to hang up, people to call and doctors to see. Thank you for the offer."

"A-Ah... no problem. Well, ehm, feel better?"

"Yeah, thanks." What else was he supposed to say? Arthur made up a quick lie to get off the phone so he could think in peace. He laid back on a graying pillow and let his eyes droop, allowing his mind to wander. It never strayed far from the current issue, unless you counted Alfred as far. Arthur had no idea what to think about him. Yes, he was the one who got him pregnant, but Arthur couldn't hate him for it or feel any resentment at all, as a matter of fact. Ironically, he found himself wanting the other with him.

What would become of that?

Before Arthur could stop himself his hand was reaching for the phone once more, dialing Alfred's number for a third time. "A-Alfred?" he managed when he heard the other's greeting, which surrounded somewhat labored and tired.

"H-Hey, Arthur!" he panted, though his tone was cheerful. "Is everything okay?"

No. Of course it wasn't. "Come to my apartment... would you?" he requested, somewhat demanded, as if they were life-long friends.

"Uh, sure. I'm at the gym up at school right now, so I'll be, like, twenty minutes. Cool?"

Arthur's eyes widened. He was working out. Images of the other in a sleeveless shirt and shorts raced to the front of his mind. Arms shining, chest bulging, hair damp and tousled going in every which direction. He imagined how the other might wipe his mouth on his forearm or towel off his sweaty brow with the rag he always brought. It would hang over a nearby bar as he lifted god knew how much weight or ran a few miles on a treadmill, waiting to be of use. His eyes closed of their own accord as he remembered the feel of Alfred's firm body against his and Arthur shuddered to himself.

Oh god, his mind had wandered _way_ too far. Just the word gym had set his imagination wild and, for some reason, he couldn't get himself to feel too badly for it. He knew he had to stop this stupid lusting, it was a must. But it was difficult.

"Yeah, that's... that's fine," Arthur muttered in reply.

"Cool... ehm, are you sure everything's okay over there? You can tell me-"

"Yes, everything's fine," Arthur snapped, brows furrowing in frustration. He couldn't just stop talking a drive over already? Alfred's voice was full of concern and it was making him impatient.

"... well, good. Hang tight for a little, I'll be right over. I just gotta shower and change and-"

Oh please no. That would only take longer. "No, don't. Just come straight here." Arthur winced as his voice wavered. He hung up after hearing Alfred's wary response and let his phone fall wherever, groaning into the blankets around him. He had no idea why he even wanted the Alpha to be there. Did he? Arthur knew only that he craved him. As to what about him, however, he was clueless.

The next half hour was absolute torture, especially since Alfred had said he'd be there in twenty minutes. Arthur flitted between groaning angrily and crying in frustration. It was way too early for the pregnancy hormones to be taking effect, or so he thought. Maybe it was an emotion side effect.

Another few minutes passed before there came knock on his door. This time Arthur could actually get up and open it, and, remembering this, the Briton raced into the main room and flung open the door. Primal urges taking over, he pounced on the unsuspecting Alpha, grabbing the back of his neck and tugging his head down so their lips would meet quickly, pressing them together frantically. Just the body contact was enough to elicit a needy moan from the Briton as he pressed closer to the other.

A second or two went by before Alfred recovered and pushed the Briton inside so as to get out of the hallway. "Hey, Arthur, take it easy..." he muttered, fumbling blindly with the door behind him, trying to lock it without pushing Arthur away.

"N-No, kiss me..." Arthur demanded, though it came out as more of a whimper than anything. He stood on his toes to initiate another kiss, grasping the other's shirt with hellish need. Alfred's strong scent invaded his body with every inhale and he gasped it in, as if breathing for the first time in days. The image of the American at the gym floated back up to the front of his mind and Arthur pressed a hand to his chest. He could have shuddered imagining the power beneath the skin beneath his sweaty shirt. Perhaps it was just the hormones talking. He moaned when the other finally kissed him back, but only just, and Arthur let out a disappointed groan when the other pulled away.

"Stop, calm down," Alfred murmured. "Why did you want me here all of a sudden?" he asked curiously. He smiled a little. "Not that I mind, but..."

Arthur took a deep breath, trying to process Alfred's words. "Honestly, I..." he said heavily, hesitant. He just wanted the other's touch, the other's presence close to him, he found himself aching for it. Aching for the warmth of his larger body and the dominating scent he radiated, ached for it to bowl him over and render him a shell of desire. Why did he want him sweaty? Because it only amplified the power of the Alpha's scent, showering would just make it less potent.

Now how to tell him all that?

"I dunno, I..." Perhaps there was no politically correct or reserved way to convey his reasoning. Arthur looked away. "I want you..." Whoa, he had not meant for that to come out like that. "I-I mean, I wanted you to be here, uh, with-"

Arthur was cut off when hot lips met his again. One of the arms he'd been thinking about earlier wrapped around his waist and Arthur wrapped his arms around Alfred's neck, leaning up to kiss back fervently. The Briton couldn't help his own intensity, for the other was addictive and intoxicating. There was no need for alcohol here, and Arthur considered giving it up for all the trouble it caused him- that is, if he could be with Alfred for the rest of his life.

These thoughts were very tentative, only musings, nothing that meant anything, Arthur told himself, pushing them aside and away to die, to never amount to anything more than thoughts. Just thoughts. But he could enjoy the Alpha while he was here in the present, couldn't he?

Alfred seemed to be having other ideas. Another few moments went by before he eased away from Arthur's lips. "We... we need to get a grip. Can we talk for a while, Artie?"

The Omega bristled. What the hell was with that random nickname? "Yes, fine. And it's Arthur, not Artie," Arthur argued, shuffling away with a flustered scowl. He lead Alfred to the small kitchen area in his apartment, immaculately tidy thanks to his Omega (and Arthur Kirkland-esque) tendencies.

"Nah, I like it, Artie," Alfred mused, his snickering self a total change from the serious, somber one from just a minute ago. He took a seat across from Arthur at the two-person table (he knew the other chair would come in handy!) and shot him a grin. How could he be so happy from just being able to talk about the situation? Arthur, forever the pessimist, would never understand.

"It's repulsive. Don't call me by it." Arthur sent the other a glare across the table, though it didn't hold too much scorn.

"Kay, Artie."

Arthur groaned at the other's insolence but didn't say any more, wanting to move on to whatever Alfred wanted to talk about. "Where do you want to start?"

Alfred gazed back at him, expression pensive. " I can't stop thinking about it." The American's shoulders sank. "It's killing me, actually."

Arthur felt a pang in his chest as he watched Alfred's chest deflate, reacting to what he'd just brought up in conversation. His words hit Arthur hard. He actually cared? Suddenly the Briton was painfully aware of the faint, but dark rings beneath Alfred's eyes, of the way he slouched and leaned back wearily against the rickety kitchen chair. The sinking of his shoulders just added to the effect. He didn't just care, the issue was eating him alive, the whole thing was driving him crazy with regret and... what else was there in his eyes? It was hard to decipher amidst their worn out depths.

Although touched by Alfred's display of concern, Arthur still couldn't let himself give in and drop his pride long enough to have a deep discussion about it. "I see. I have... er, thought about it too."

Alfred shot him a wary glance. "Yeah?"

Arthur stared back confusedly. "Yes..."

The one-word answer must have been satisfactory, for the American leaned his head on his right hand and sighed. "Well, tell me what you're thinkin'?"

Arthur scoffed before he could stop himself. It was as bewildering to himself as it probably was to Alfred, for he'd had no reason to have a reaction like that. Well, perhaps he did, but he still felt rotten for it.

Arthur took a second or two to steady himself before looking across the table at Alfred. "I'm thinking that we'll have to accept this sooner or later, so why not get it over with as soon as possible?" His eyes rested on the simple table top between them. Something occurred to him. "Perhaps that's why I called you... I want... I want to talk..."

Alfred seemed to absorb Arthur's words and smiled warmly. "I can definitely do that."

The Briton looked up at him warily. "Do what?"

"Talk. Or accept it. Whatever you need." Alfred's eyes passed over his face and watched him struggle with himself internally. The emotion swirling in them made Arthur shift in his seat and he held his stomach uncertainly, looking downcast at his legs. He breathed in slowly and sighed wearily, exhausted and so, so confused by the chaos of the past couple of days.

Without meeting the American's eyes he murmured, "Both would be nice..." He couldn't go another day at war with himself, it had already been almost a week since this all started and he was tearing himself apart.

"Hey." Arthur looked up at the sound of the other's voice to see him leaning forward a little. "It's gonna be okay, alright? You know that, right?"

Did he know that? He'd never really given it much thought, how this would all end, too busy worrying about the present to think on the future. _Would_ everything be alright? Arthur shrugged his shoulders and rested his arms on the table. "Yeah... it will be..." The other's confidence was truly admirable, even in a situation like this. He was strong emotionally too, it seemed. How could anyone be perfect like that?

"Perfect...?" he muttered in disbelief, wondering why he'd just thought that about the other. Tea was perfect, books were perfect, his home back in England was perfect, but no, not people, people were not.

"Arthur...?"

Then again, maybe he wasn't perfect. Arthur was turning a blind eye to the fact that the Alpha had lured him into bed knowing he very well could be fertile. But damn it all to hell because Arthur had known just as well, and he hadn't stopped him. The thought made Arthur want to throw up.

Across the table, Alfred swallowed and cleared his throat, breaking the short period of silence that had settled between them. His voice was strong and almost imposing in the quiet apartment. "What's going to happen?"

A good question. Arthur gave a faint smile and took a deep breath. "What's going to happen is I'm going to have the baby. That's where I stand..." He looked at Alfred. "I want to know what your plan is..."

The quiet descended upon the two for another moment as the American took in the other's words. Arthur's stomach lurched as words Alfred might say popped into his head. There was rejection, lots of it. He imagined a scene in which the Alpha stood and stormed out, in which he yelled his objections to the whole debacle, in which he hated Arthur for coming along and throwing a wrench into his life. There were plenty of those situations. But there were some Arthur only dared imagine for a moment as to not get too attached, not to get too hopeful for an Alfred that understood and had the least bit of empathy. One that took his half of the responsibility on his shoulders and rose to the occasion.

He could dream.

"Alfred, are you going to say anything?" Arthur prodded, starting to feel his nerves. He stilled his hands by clasping his fingers together.

"Yeah, I am," he replied, but it was more like a declaration than a statement. Alfred's eyes were a fierce blue behind the rectangle frames perched crookedly on his nose. He righted them absently. "We're going to get through this- I said "we". You're not gonna be alone, Arthur, I can't let you do this alone." With a sober expression and a set jaw, Alfred reached across the table and laid a hand over Arthur's clasped ones. "If you'll accept my help, that is..." He smiled, but it disappeared as quickly as it came, replaced by a look of alarm. "Not that you _need _help or anything, cuz you seem like a pretty independent Omega, but I'm just-"

"Alfred?" Arthur cut in, cocking an impressive brow.

The Alpha grinned sheepishly. "Yeah...?"

"Stop talking." Arthur's lips turned up in a slight smile. "Of course I want your help and companionship, I..." he struggled, getting more worked up by the minute. "You don't have to walk on eggshells around me, and honestly I wouldn't mind having you around, and so-"

Suddenly, Arthur was silenced by the other's warm lips. Dark green eyes widened but closed a few moments later and Arthur found himself melting against the other's body as arms wrapped around him and he was pulled up to stand. His arms wound around the other's shoulders and Arthur let his body work on its own. "Mmnph..." He sighed against the other's chin and pressed against him as Alfred kissed a spot near his ear.

"Does this mean you forgive me?"

Oh hell yes it did. "Y-Yes, why else would I let you kiss me?" Now he just had to know if Alfred would forgive him. But Arthur didn't think he could handle discussing it at the moment, so there was always another day.


End file.
